ROCKPORT — “Aren’t they beautiful,” asked Camden Hills Regional High School Principal Nick Ithomitis, turning to the crowd of parents and friends who filled the Rockport school gymnasium to capacity. Behind him stood the 170-plus seniors, all beneath their tassels, mortar boards and gowns, ready to receive their high school diplomas. 

It was graduation, June 6, just after the Class of 2014 had marched into the building from the soft spring night that was gradually darkening outside. They filed into the gym to the cheers and clapping of their community, climbing into the bleachers with the tallest young men of the class standing on the top rows in back. The Class of 2014 is one of the biggest in the school’s history, and it has earned the distinction of being creative, scholarly, bold and kind.

Ithomitis read to the audience a few of the notes that had had been left in the lobby next to the photos of the graduates. It is a tradition now that parents write notes to their seniors, and affix them to the lobby photos.

“So proud of you.” “Clean your room.” “High five.” “Fly high you little bird.” “You are a great man, and an even better son.”

The sentiments were proud, and the graduation, which began at 8:59 p.m. on the dot (another custom at this high school) would last but an hour. That hour, however, was packed with remembrances, advice, humor, a million photos, and a few tears.

The Class of 2014, under the graduation leadership of English teacher Todd Williams, had gathered earlier in the evening in the wrestling room near the gym, slipping into gowns, the young men pinning roses to their shoulders, young women holding theirs across the right arm. 

Patient, but firm, Williams would pause periodically, through giggles and chatter, refocusing the seniors to last minute instructions. “Ready,” he’d ask, quietly and respectfully, raising his hand slightly and waiting again for attention. 

Teachers mingled through that room, congratulating and giving hugs to students. Ithomitis moved through the crowd, as well, shaking the hands of students.

“It’s showtime,” Williams warned them all, moving them out the door. 

Williams had inherited the job of chief coordinator of the annual weeklong graduation ceremonies from former English teacher Steve Moro, who retired in 2005. Since then, Williams has shepherded the gangly classes of seniors into marching practice until they transform into an orderly unit, a class, marching behind their marshals, first at the Monday evening baccalaureate, then at awards night, and finally at graduation.

And every year, just before high school band director Nancy Rowe picks up her baton and signals the Camden Hills Regional High School Symphonic Band to strike the first notes of Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance," Williams first gives some parting words, as well as last-minute instructions.

As the class lined up outside the gym door, they stopped joking, put their phones away and fell silent. 

“You are going to take part in a tradition now that happens every year at graduation,” said Williams, drawing them into a large semicircle around him.

“Nobody messes with the jammin’ machine,” yelled one voice from the class.

“This ceremony is your chance a class to take care of each other, and to honor each other,” he said. “It is a time to appreciate your class.”

Then, it was pomp and circumstance, as the ushers opened the gym doors.

Inside, the seniors were welcomed by Ithomitis, followed by the opening remarks of Aidan Gordon, class president, who encouraged his peers to be persistent in life, even when the task at hand seems impossible. He also spoke about the strong community at home.

“When one door closes, another opens,” he said. “But the closed door will never be locked.”

Salutatorian Sean Pierce suggested it was time to slow down.

“Let us relax and enjoy this momentous occasion to the fullest,” he said.

Valedictorian Kiera Haining encouraged her classmates to find a challenge.

And she spoke of the strengths of her peers, their talents and sense of humor, like that of Henry, who put 2,000 crickets in the bathroom. (See below for her entire speech): “or encased Mr. Doubleday's stapler in jello, I am happy because I know that one thing is for sure: the pressure and drama of high school and society has not affected everyone, and there will always be more jokes and smiles to come.”

Haining also spoke of their friend and classmate Forest, who could not make the ceremony.

“Forest’s dream is always to make people smile; whenever I see him he is smiling, and let me tell you: it’s beautiful. So, although Forest cannot be here tonight, I’d like to honor his dream by making all of you smile. To do this, I want to read his senior quote that he’d like me to share:

       “So smile a smile and I’ll smile too.

        What is the use in feeling blue

        Watch my lips I’ll show you how

        That’s the way, you’re smiling now.”

Retiring teacher history Faith Vautour delivered the commencement address (see below), saying, “To thine own self be true. If you know who you are and what you stand for, and if you are willing to articulate this in whatever you do, you therefore will be able to be honest with everyone else.”

After diplomas were presented to the students, and after the symphonic band played “Fanfare for the Common Man,” Senior Class Vice President Jaclyn Gilson summoned Junior Class President Mark McCluskey to the podium. There, she ushered him into a graduation robe, and passed the torch of leadership to him, the Class of 2015.

Hannah Olsen made the closing remarks, praising the teachers who “pushed us out of the comfort zone, and speaking like a poet, she said, “be inspired to become inspiring. Let’s lead so that others may stand on top of us.”

Faith Vautour’s commencement address

Tonight belongs to you, the Class of 2014, and therefore my remarks will be brief. I would like to start by referring to an English teacher that I had at Hallowell High School in the late 1950's. Jack Batall had my class memorize a portion of Shakespeare's Hamlet that I am using as the focus of my thoughts tonight. And that phrase is this:

"This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

What might this mean to you today?

In a few minutes, you will be leaving this stage and walking out the back door amidst falling balloons. You will forever be known as graduates Camden Hills Regional High School.

But let me ask you. What else would you like us, your family, friends and classmates, to remember about you? Is there a word that best describes who you are as a person? I am not talking about being a great scholar, athlete, musician, actor or mechanic. No, I want you to think about a word that describes your inner self. Is that word honesty, dependability, motivated, kind, caring, loving, courageous or maybe lackadaisical? I feel that it is very important for each of you to know who you are and maybe who you want to be. And then be true to that person.

Know what your strengths are and build open them; identify your weaknesses and work to correct them. But don't try to be someone you are not. In other words, you are who you are; there is no need to pretend to be someone else. As the beloved poet Maya Angelou said in her Letter to My Daughter, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

Tomorrow morning, you are starting with a clean slate. What you have achieved to this point is something to be proud of but it is in the past. As The Buddha said hundreds of years ago: "Who I am now is a result of past actions; who I will be is what I do now"

While some of you may not be 18 yet, you are in effect entering the adult world, and your involvement in that world, is no longer directly connected to Camden Hills Regional High School. Some of you are probably delighted to be leaving, while others will be back visiting, perhaps as early as next week.

So as you are thinking about the word or words that you would like to be remembered for, think about this.

To thine own self be true. If you know who you are and what you stand for, and if you are willing to articulate this in whatever you do, you therefore will be able to be honest with everyone else.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said in his essay "Self Reliance",

“Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for.”

Lao Tzu, a great Chinese philosopher said: “When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”

As Janis Joplin, a great singer and song-writer of the 1960's said: “Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got.”

So Class of 2014, I wish you continued success and happiness in all of your future endeavors. And above all, I ask you to remember what my former high school English teacher stressed to us "Back in the day"

"to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Kiera Haining’s valedictorian speech

I know that my job here tonight is to look to the future and give advice as if I have had all the life experience that there is in the world, and I will, to an extent, try to do so. But first, I want to look back, because it's not possible to think about the future while ignoring the past. Most of us up on this stage have grown up together. We've had playdates after daycare at People Place, we've played Little League together, we've spent our summers on Megunticook, and we've celebrated the opening day of deer season. We've also accomplished so much as a class: we've traveled to Guatemala to volunteer at a nonprofit, we've led the Latin Club to countless victories, we've had wrestling and mountain biking teams win state championships. We got through the late-night procrastination on projects and essays, we bonded over teachers that we loved, or loved to hate, and we deflected the drama and tension that all of us inevitably faced. We survived high school together.

        Now, we have a choice tonight, after we march out those doors and embrace the freedom and enjoyment that being a high school graduate entails. We can accept the status quo as what it is now, our life at 18 years old, or, we can continue with what we've been doing already - challenging and pushing the limits, exploring just how far we can go, and letting our friends and community catch us when we take risks and fail.

        We, as an entire generation, as the class of 2014, have so many things to do, so much potential to be realized. We have soon-to-be graduates who will study environmental science, and come up with solutions that will alter the trend of global warming. We have classmates who will become teachers, and will be the role models of future students, just like the teachers we look up to here at Camden Hills. We have friends who will remain here in the Fivetowns community, and be just as supportive and caring as the community members were for us these past four years. 

        Throughout my time in this high school, it still continues to amaze me how much diversity in talent and skill we have in our class. When I hear Jacob singing his way down the hallway, I always smile because well, that's just the effect Jacob has on people. When I see Lauren dancing her heart out on stage, or Sean twirling people around in his swing dancing class, I marvel at how much time and effort must have been spent doing something they love, and how much they can show because of it. When I find out that Henry has put 2,000 crickets in the boys bathroom or encased Mr. Doubleday's stapler in jello, I am happy because I know that one thing is for sure: the pressure and drama of high school and society has not affected everyone, and there will always be more jokes and smiles to come.

        Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” This is what I hope for our class. That we will go out into this world, and when we find ourselves in difficult yet exciting situations, whether that be a high-powered career dilemma, a personal family matter, or literally being lost in the middle of the Maine woods on a hiking trail, I hope that we take the more obscure route, to challenge ourselves to learn more about who we are, and to make something about the world a little different and a little better as a result.

        Next year, when we've all gone our separate ways, I think we'll find ourselves searching for people to surround ourselves with, to try and create a community similar to what we have here with our friends and family. This is when I'm going to try to give a little advice, so here goes.

        Take this opportunity to surround yourself with people who make you a better person (sorry for the cliche, but it's true) and who let you be the person you truly want to be, not who others may tell you that you need to be. In the future we may find ourselves in tough situations, and trust me when I say they’re so much easier to deal with when you have great friends by your side.

        Be the Matt Clark of your future community. Smile and say hello to both friends and strangers, because we all know from experience how much it can brighten a person's day.

        Much to our dismay, I have a feeling that many of the things our parents have been telling us will become true. Although I can only imagine how hard it will be, we'll just have to swallow our pride and learn to accept it, because the truth is that their opinion is probably the best advice we're ever going to get.

        No one will be holding you back, telling you it's not possible to achieve your dreams. You are the only one who can set those limits, so the answer is simple: just don't set them. Look at Trevor, who won a silver medal in pin design through Skills USA this past March. Look at Ben, who was the KVAC Class B cross country champion two years in a row. Look at Forest, whose immeasurable strength allowed him to stay positive even in the face of all odds. Forest’s dream is always to make people smile; whenever I see him he is smiling, and let me tell you: it’s beautiful. So, although Forest cannot be here tonight, I’d like to honor his dream by making all of you smile. To do this, I want to read his senior quote that he’d like me to share:

        “So smile a smile and I’ll smile too.

        What is the use in feeling blue

        Watch my lips I’ll show you how

        That’s the way, you’re smiling now.”

        So, I'm going to end with this advice: smile often, dream big, choose wisely, keep in touch, keep your friends and family close, and have the most amazing time of your lives wherever you end up. Forge a new trail for yourself that others will be proud to follow. Thank you, and good luck to the class of 2014.

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Editorial Director Lynda Clancy can be reached at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657.